Farshore signs UK edition of Mevan Babakar's 'timely' story

Farshore has signed The Bicycle, a picture book inspired by the true story of writer and child refugee Mevan Babakar, written with Patricia McCormick and illustrated by Yas Imamura.

The US edition was published by HarperCollins in May 2024. Renée Lewis, editorial assistant, Farshore, subsequently acquired English language rights from Rachel Horowitz, senior director of subsidiary rights, on behalf of HarperCollins US. The Bicycle will be published in the UK in February 2025. 

Babakar and her family were forced to flee by the Iraqi government and move from country to country seeking safety, when a small act of kindness changed everything. The Bicycle is based on Babakar’s childhood and is a "moving reminder of how powerful just one act of kindness can be".

Babakar said: "I think it’s easy to feel powerless in the face of the big, abstract problems that we hear about all the time. For me, it’s a comfort to remember we are all very powerful in the way that we choose to treat one another. Even in the darkest of times there will always be shining acts of kindness."

Lewis added: “The Bicycle is a timely and poignant story – Patricia and Mevan’s lyrical writing, blended with Yas’ sensitive illustrations present Mevan’s experiences as a young refugee in an accessible way for young children.”